Modern cranes are ubiquitous to the construction and manufacturing industries. In the past, cranes relied on operator experience and charts in order to determine safe operating limits including boom angles, load capacity, and other operating parameters. Now, computers aid operators in quickly determining whether a given load or lift is safe under current conditions.
In addition to knowing what tasks are safe to undertake, it is also important to know the current load or work being performed by the crane in order to ensure that the crane is operating under acceptable and safe parameters. Currently, in order to know the load placed on a crane, sensors may be placed within a hydraulic ram or piston that moves and stabilizes the boom in the vertical direction. However, this requires placement and wiring (or other communication means) between the boom and other measuring devices and computers that are normally located elsewhere on the crane. For example, cranes are often already outfitted with devices such as load moment indicators (LMI) and drum rotation indicators (DRI).
Some components of cranes and associated systems have a limited service lift, which may be based on usage or total work performed. An example of such a component is the rope or cable used to lift loads. Over time the cable may stretch, weaken, or otherwise become compromised from normal work and wear and tear. Knowing when such items are due for replacement or inspection is important to reliable operation of crane or winch systems.
What is needed is a system for addressing the above and related concerns.